A Derry mum has spoken out about pursuing an autism diagnosis as an adult after her daughter was diagnosed with autism at an early age.
Sarah McGill now runs the blog AutisticAlly which aims to help parents raising children with autism to feel not as isolated or alone.
She admits has been on an incredible journey with autism since the birth of her daughter and now wants knowledge and understanding of autism to be more widespread.
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Sarah said: "I grew up always thinking I was different, an outsider in my own life always looking in. My daughter was born nearly 7 years ago. She was the only autistic person I knew, or so I thought.
"She began to show autistic traits and characteristics from a very young age and was diagnosed at 3 years old. Through watching her and researching autism all these characteristics started to hit me. I realised that I fit into the autistic category but not quite like my daughter.
"I had been seeing a life coach Raymond Craig and in one of our sessions I wrote a letter to myself. I read it out for him and the realisation hit me, everything I had read out was my daughter. I realised I was autistic too.
"It was a light bulb moment and he urged me to send the letter to my GP. The diagnostic testing is exhausting, it is like a play-by-play of your whole life. I found myself seeking out a clinical phycologist that is specialised in diagnosing autistic women, she was able to see behind the invisible ‘mask’ that I have built throughout my life.
"Reaching out for an autism diagnosis is the best thing I ever did for myself, I received a lot of negative comments but I did it for me. I now have clarity and a better understanding of myself."
Through setting up AutisticAlly, Sarah has seen a community building among parents raising children with autism.
She said: "It felt to me that as a parent raising a child with additional needs, you are left to figure things out on your own. At that time, I had undergone many training workshops to help me better understand my child’s needs so I wanted to help educate others.
"My page has changed and evolved just like my life. From a page that showed what family life is like raising an autistic child has turned into a life journey for me. I always said from the very beginning if the content on my blog helps even one person then it’s all worth it. It has become a little community, we try to all help each other."
For Sarah, understanding autism more helped her to understand herself and her daughter. It is important for her now to raise awareness further.
She said: "My daughter is the reason I have found myself. She has given me a better understanding of myself than anyone ever has, and she has done this without speaking a word.
" I believe that more people are seeking out autistic diagnoses because there is more awareness out there now than in the past. It still has a long way to go, there is still a lot of ignorance in the world and stigma around invisible conditions.
"I have just completed my PGCE in Autism studies and hoping to go for my Masters. I want to educate as many people as I can. I want there to be no bias or prejudice just inclusivity.
"I want families to stop having to fight for their child to get services that they really need. I want more support for autistic adults because services seem to be non-existent when we turn 18.
"Getting Autism awareness and acceptance out there is paramount. The more we talk about autism, the more widely recognised it will become in our society. Autism is nothing to be feared, it is an explanation of why we think, feel and see the world differently. This is the first time in my life that I actually like who I am."
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